Monday, July 6, 2015

Riding in the Back

On our way to church yesterday we came up behind this buggy. The children thought it looked like the little boys were really enjoying their ride, but wondered if it wouldn't be easy to fall off.

It reminded me of a little something that happened when I was six years old.

Daddy had come to pick me up after school. For some reason I jumped into the back of the buggy and knelt on the seat and looked out the front as we headed home. Our horse had this habit when he transitioned between walking and running he would make a jump of sorts which always jerked the buggy.

We had just reached the top of a small hill and the horse decided it was time to run. He gave his usual lurch an I flew backwards off the seat and against the door that just happened to not have been latched properly. It flew open and I sailed right out onto the road.

Daddy stopped immediately and ran back to pick me up. I was much more scared than hurt. He carried me back and I sat in the front with him for the rest of the ride home.

Funny how thirty years have passed and I can still feel how it felt flying out of the back of the buggy.

8 comments:

  1. Obviously never had that happen to me, but I once went from standing up on the swing seat to sitting down, and let go of both chains at the same time. Did a double somersault and only sprained my wrist. God watches over little children!

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  2. Some things always look more fun than they actually are. We used to ride in the back of my uncles flatbed pickup truck. He would fly around the corners on the rural gravel roads and try to throw us off. Silly us. We didn't realize how dangerous it was, but he sure should have known.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  3. I would expect you find it amusing that something you take ( took ) for granted, riding in a horse and buggy, the " English " would pay to do. There are a group of Mennonites where I live that " give " buggy rides around the store they own.

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  4. You were fortunate not to have been hurt. Quite a memory!

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  5. I have nothing that dramatic to report. However, when I was growing up my parents always had a 9-passenger station wagon - the kind where the 3rd seat faced the back of the car, and you could roll down the back window (sort of like rolling down a back windshield nowadays - not sure any cars have that.)

    We always fought over the way-back seats. Far from the parental discipline.

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  6. I have nothing that dramatic to report. However, when I was growing up my parents always had a 9-passenger station wagon - the kind where the 3rd seat faced the back of the car, and you could roll down the back window (sort of like rolling down a back windshield nowadays - not sure any cars have that.)

    We always fought over the way-back seats. Far from the parental discipline.

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  7. I'm SURE you can remember that free-floating feeling when you have absolutely no control.... I think the landing was probably a relief! I have never wanted to fly. EVER! The closest I came was trying to swing on a rope... unsuccessfully... completely took my breath away and I was embarrassed. Not sure which was worse!

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  8. OH! I can so relate to your airborne adventure. Years ago we visited Canada for the holidays. A farmer was giving our family a ride on a flat hayrack wagon. When the horses stopped for a brief break, I was standing up near the back of the wagon with my 5 yr old son standing in front of me with his back to me. The farmer did not warn us that we were going to move, so when he snapped the reins the horses started with a lurch and I went sailing off the back of the wagon with my arms clutched firmly around my little son so that he would land on me and not on that hard frozen field. I landed with quite a thud and it all happened so FAST. The earmuffs I was wearing flopped forward over my eyes and we both just lay there for a moment to make sure we weren't hurt anywhere and to figure out 'WHAT' had just happened. We were not hurt and everyone had a big laugh after they saw we were not hurt. Still a 'funny' memory to recall to this day. :D

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